In expansion of the community development objectives contained in §
182-2 of this chapter, it is hereby declared to be the intent of this article to recognize that signs provide an important function in the Township providing for the identification of businesses, residences, services and other matters of interest. This article provides standards and controls to balance the need to provide information to residents and the desire not to impair the visual character of Upper Providence Township or create potential hazards.
In a shopping center of less than 10 acres,
the following sign provisions apply in lieu of any other herein:
A. One entrance sign identifying the shopping center
at each vehicular entrance from a public street, provided that:
(1)
The overall height of all such entrance signs
shall not be more than 25 feet in height.
(2)
The total area of such sign shall not exceed
150 square feet. Larger individual signs may be permitted if the total
sign square footage for which the site is entitled is not increased.
In no event shall a sign exceed 200 square feet.
(3)
The spacing of such signs, with reference to
each other, shall not be less than 400 feet measured in single straight
lines.
(4)
There may not be more than two such signs for
any one shopping center.
(5)
A maximum of 15% of the area of any entrance sign as specified in Subsection
A(2) above may be devoted to changeable copy.
B. Wall, awning, window or blade signs are permitted
on only the building frontage that serves as the principal approach
to the building, except as noted below.
C. Roof signs are not permitted; signs above sign height
line may be permitted as long as they are mounted on a parapet wall
which is designed as an integrated element of the building's architecture.
D. Pedestrian directory signs listing the names of commercial
or business establishments within the vicinity shall be permitted
in any area used solely by pedestrians, provided that such signs may
not exceed 15 square feet in area.
E. Vehicular directory signs shall be permitted, subject
to the following regulations:
(1)
Such signs shall be ground signs only, and one
such sign shall be located at the main point of ingress and egress
to the area served by the sign and located on one of the properties
serviced by this sign. A maximum of one directory sign in a shopping
center shall be permitted.
(2)
Individual spaces to indicate the name and location
of each use within the area, including the name of the area if being
developed as a single unit, may be provided on such sign, provided
that each such space shall not exceed three square feet in area, and
further provided that the total sign area shall not exceed 36 square
feet.
F. Signs of contractors, mechanics, painters and artisans
directed and maintained on the premises where the work is being performed
for the period of time that the work is being performed and real estate
signs advertising either the sale or rental of the premises or the
development of the premises by the builder, contractor, developer
or other persons interested therein shall be subject to the following
regulations:
(1)
Each sign shall not exceed 65 square feet.
(2)
All such signs shall be unlighted.
(3)
All such signs shall be removed within 10 days
of the completion of the particular purpose for which the sign has
been erected.
G. Temporary signs shall be in accordance with §
182-154.
H. Signs for individual tenants shall be in accordance with §
182-148.
In a shopping center of 10 acres or greater,
the following sign provisions apply in lieu of any other herein;
A. One entrance sign identifying the shopping center
at each vehicular entrance from a public street, provided that:
(1)
The overall height of all such entrance signs
shall not be more than 35 feet in height.
(2)
The total area of such sign shall not exceed
200 square feet. Larger individual signs may be permitted if the total
sign square footage for which the site is entitled is not increased.
In no event shall a sign exceed 300 square feet.
(3)
The spacing of such signs, with reference to
each other, shall not be less than 400 feet measured in single straight
lines.
(4)
There may not be more than three such signs
for any one shopping center.
(5)
A maximum of 15% of the area of any entrance sign as specified in Subsection
A(2) above may be devoted to changeable copy.
B. Tenants are permitted to have wall, awning, window
or blade signs on only the building frontage that serves as the principal
approach to the building, except as noted below.
C. Roof signs are not permitted; signs above sign height
line may be permitted as long as they are mounted on a parapet wall
which is designed as an integrated element of the building's architecture.
D. Pedestrian directory signs listing the names of commercial
or business establishments within the vicinity shall be permitted
in any area used solely by pedestrians, provided that such signs may
not exceed 15 square feet in area.
E. Vehicular directory signs shall be permitted, subject
to the following regulations:
(1)
Such signs shall be ground signs only, and one
such sign shall be located at the main point of ingress and egress
to the area served by the sign and located on one of the properties
serviced by this sign. A maximum of one per 30 acres or fraction thereof,
but in no case more than three directory signs in a shopping center,
shall be permitted.
(2)
Individual spaces to indicate the name and location
of each use within the area, including the name of the area if being
developed as a single unit, may be provided on such sign, provided
that each such space shall not exceed three square feet in area, and
further provided that the total sign area shall not exceed 36 square
feet. As a conditional use, a total of 60 square feet of signage will
be permitted, with individual spaces not to exceed five square feet,
if the area for which the directory is intended is either remote from
any abutting roads or does not parallel same. One vehicular directory
sign of the increased size shall be permitted for each 30 acres or
fraction thereof.
F. Signs of contractors, mechanics, painters and artisans
directed and maintained on the premises where the work is being performed
for the period of time that the work is being performed and real estate
signs advertising either the sale or rental of the premises or the
development of the premises by the builder, contractor, developer
or other persons interested therein shall be subject to the following
regulations:
(1)
Each sign shall not exceed 65 square feet.
(2)
All such signs shall be unlighted.
(3)
All such signs shall be removed within 10 days
of the completion of the particular purpose for which the sign has
been erected.
G. Temporary signs shall be in accordance with §
182-154.
H. Signs for individual tenants shall be in accordance with §
182-148.
I. For shopping centers in the IO-3 District, the following
additional requirements apply, provided that signs in addition to
those specified herein, or in excess of the sizes enumerated herein,
may be permitted by special exception from the Zoning Hearing Board.
[Amended 12-22-2009 by Ord. No. 505; 1-7-2013 by Ord. No. 525]
(1)
No pylon signs are permitted. Entrance signs
are to be monument signs only. Maximum height is 12 feet.
(2)
A coordinated signage package must be provided.
All signs must have similar sign style, lettering style, construction
materials and color.
(3)
Wall signs can be transferred from another building,
as long as the total permissible wall sign area for the building facade
on which it is being placed is not increased.
Office, commercial or industrial uses with frontage
along Route 422 may provide additional signage along said frontage
as a conditional use, beyond what would ordinarily be permitted in
this article, subject to the following, provided signage is for uses
on the site on which the sign is located:
A. Adequate evidence shall be provided to enable the
Board of Supervisors to determine that the additional signage is necessary
to identify the use to the passing motorist and that the use would
not be adequately visible without it.
B. Any sign permitted shall meet all requirements of
PennDOT and the Federal Highway Administration.
C. One sign shall be permitted for every 1,000 feet of
frontage, or fraction thereof.
D. Each sign shall have a maximum area of 300 square
feet and a maximum height of 40 feet unless adequate evidence of the
need for greater area and/or greater height can be justified through
empirical evidence to the satisfaction of the Board of Supervisors;
however, in no case shall a sign greater than 400 square feet in area
and/or 45 feet in height be approved.
E. If more than one sign is permitted, the spacing of
the signs shall be at the discretion of the Board of Supervisors.
F. Such signs shall be set back a minimum of 15 feet
from the ultimate right-of-way.
G. No sign permitted by this section shall be installed
within 500 feet of any interchange ramp of the Route 422 Expressway,
measured along the ramp from its point of intersection with the intersecting
roadway.
H. If signs under this section are approved for a property, that property shall not qualify for signage under §
182-150.
Advertising signs and billboards shall be permitted
as a conditional use in the industrial districts, subject to the following
provisions:
A. The overall height of such signs shall not exceed
40 feet.
B. Such signs shall be set back a minimum of 15 feet
from the ultimate right-of-way.
C. Such signs shall not be placed within 1,000 feet of
one another.
D. Such signs shall be permitted to front only those public roads of a controlled or semicontrolled access highway classification or greater, as delineated on the Township Ultimate Right-of-way Map, adopted as part of Article
IV of Chapter
151, Streets and Sidewalks, and as the map may be amended in the future.
E. Such signs shall not exceed an area of 300 square
feet, and no combination of signs at any single location shall exceed
a total area of 300 square feet.
F. No sign permitted by this section shall be installed
within 500 feet of any interchange ramp of any qualifying road, measured
along the ramp from its point of intersection with the intersecting
roadway.
Where permitted, the illumination of signs shall
be subject to the National Electrical Code and to the following regulations:
A. Signs that move, rotate, oscillate, vibrate or shimmer
are only allowed in the M-2 Manufacturing Industrial District, and
no other.
B. Indirect illumination may be provided by floodlights,
spotlights, ordinary incandescent bulbs, fluorescent tubes or mercury-vapor
lamps. Internally illuminated signs shall be permitted only for commercial
and industrial uses. Regardless of the type of illumination employed,
all illuminated signs, and/or the light fixtures illuminating the
signs, shall be properly shielded and so located as to prevent glare
or blinding effects upon surrounding buildings, properties, or motor
vehicle traffic so as not to cause a nuisance or hazard to building
occupants, residents or travelers in the area.
C. Neon lighting will be considered only as a part of a special sign, as defined in §
182-152, and as such will be included as part of the special exception required for such signs. In any case, neon lighting will only be permitted for a commercial or industrial use.
D. No sign shall be permitted which is animated by means
of flashing, scintillating, blinking or traveling lights or any other
means not providing constant illumination. Public service information
signs shall be classified as "changing signs" and shall be permitted.
A public service information sign shall be any sign intended primarily
to promote items of general interest in the community, such as the
time, temperature, date and atmospheric conditions, and may be located
in any district except residential. Illuminated revolving barber poles
shall be permitted in conjunction with the use of a barbershop.
When the architectural design of a building
is integral with the sign composition to such a degree that normal
standards cannot be applied with practicality, such a sign shall be
deemed a "special sign" and may be permitted when authorized as a
special exception by the Zoning Hearing Board, subject to the following
conditions:
A. Such sign shall be limited to office, commercial,
and industrial uses.
B. Such sign shall form an integral part of the structural
or decorative facade of a building wall to such an extent as to render
impractical the measurement or placement of sign area as defined herein;
however, such sign may not be placed on any decorative facade where
the purpose appears primarily to increase the permitted height of
a sign above the sign height line of the building.
C. Such sign may be of such unique materials, shape or
design as to render impractical the application of any of the regulations
contained herein which are intended to apply to the customary sign
and materials, shapes, designs or construction.
Flags bearing a corporate or company name and/or
insignia shall be permitted to be flown on the property where the
company is located, provided the following:
A. The flag must be flown in conjunction with the flag
of the United States, provided that such corporate or company flag
shall not exceed in size 75% of the United States flag with which
it is displayed.
B. In the event that a flagpole is attached to a building,
such flagpole shall not extend above the sign height line of such
building, except where such pole is used exclusively for the display
of the United States flag.
C. Nothing herein precludes the flying of POW/MIA or
other legally sanctioned flags in recognition of nationally significant
events or persons.
All signs shall be placed with regard to the
public safety and shall be governed by the following regulations:
A. No sign shall be erected or maintained as to prevent
free ingress and egress to or from any door, window or fire escape.
B. Only instructional signs shall be attached to a standpipe
or fire escape.
C. Any business sign must maintain a setback distance
from an adjacent residential district as required under this chapter
for other business or commercial structures or buildings.
D. No sign shall be erected at or near the intersection
of streets or upon a curve so as to obstruct free and clear vision.
No red-, amber- or green-colored discs or shapes may be permitted
within 100 feet of a street intersection or any location wherein it
is determined by the Zoning Officer that such colored lights or shapes
might be confused with official traffic signals.
Any vehicle or trailer which is parked on a
public right-of-way or on public or private property so as to be visible
from a public right-of-way and which has attached thereto or located
thereon any sign or advertising device for the basic purpose of providing
advertisement of products or directing people to a business or activity
located on the same or nearby property or any other premises is hereby
deemed to be an advertising vehicle and shall be prohibited. This
section shall not prohibit any form of vehicular signage, such as
a sign attached to a bus or lettered on a motor vehicle, where the
vehicle is not used for the basic purpose of providing advertisement
or direction as set forth above.
The provisions of this chapter shall not apply
to official federal, state or municipal signs erected within the Township.
In addition, the trade names, emblems or directions on service facilities
or product dispensers, including but not limited to gasoline pumps,
telephone booths and vending machines, shall not be considered to
be a sign when such trade name, emblem or single group of words or
symbols are not more than three square feet in area. Further, window
signs shall not be considered in computing total sign area, but in
no event shall window signs cover more than 20% of the area of any
window opening.
Any lawful sign existing on the effective date
of this chapter that does not conform to the provisions of this chapter
shall be considered a lawful nonconforming sign and may be continued.
Nonconforming signs may be repaired or repainted but shall not be
altered or changed in overall dimensions except to conform with the
provisions of this chapter.
A. A nonconforming office use in a residential district
shall be entitled to one ground and one wall sign. The maximum size
for the ground sign shall be 20 square feet; the maximum size for
the wall sign shall be based upon the formula provided in § 182-145C(2)(a)
herein.
B. A nonconforming commercial or industrial use in a
residential district shall be entitled to one ground and one wall
sign. The maximum size for the ground sign shall be 20 square feet;
the maximum size for the wall sign shall be based upon the formula
provided in § 182-146C(2)(a) herein.
[Added 8-15-2022 by Ord. No. 595]
A. Whether the primary purpose of artwork painted on a building is commercial
or noncommercial is a fact-based inquiry and the initial determination
is to be made by the Township Zoning Officer. The determination to
be made is whether the expression depicted in the artwork is primarily
intended to advance the economic interests of a business. Factors
in making this determination include:
(1)
Whether the wall is part of a business;
(2)
Whether the artwork includes the name or advertising slogans
of a business;
(3)
Whether the artwork depicts specific elements of a transaction
or business activity associated with a particular business or trade;
(4)
Whether the artwork includes depictions of the owner or employees
of a particular business;
(5)
If volunteered by the building owner or artist, the stated noncommercial
expression sought to be expressed in the artwork;
(6)
Whether the artwork, in consideration of these and any other
relevant factors, is intended to call attention to a business or commercial
activity.
B. If the Zoning Officer determines the artwork to be a sign, then it
shall be prohibited unless it complies with the signage criteria for
wall signs in that zoning district, if any. If it is determined to
be a mural, then it is subject only to the requirements set forth
in this part. Specifically:
(1)
It may not be larger than the wall on which it is painted;
(2)
It may not cover doors or windows;
(3)
It may not contain electronic elements and may not be internally
illuminated;
(4)
It may not include words or graphic depictions of violence or
sexuality that would be considered obscene applying contemporary community
standards;
(5)
It may not project into any public right of way;
(6)
It must be created using materials durable enough to last approximately
as long as ordinary exterior paint applied to the same wall in a single,
uniform color.
C. Persons intending to create a mural within the Township may apply
to the Zoning Officer free of charge for a determination that the
artwork does not constitute a regulated sign. A mural that is painted
without Zoning Officer approval is subject to removal if it is in
violation of this section.
D. The perceived cultural, artistic, historical, or societal significance
of any depiction in any artwork is unrelated to a determination made
by the Zoning Officer pursuant to this section.